Mississippi’s STI rates climax
Justin Mitchell
News Editor
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 726 in
100,000 Mississippians are infected
with chlamydia, ranking Mississippi
first in the nation when it comes to
chlamydia cases.
Only 10 counties in Mississippi
have less than 300 in 100,000 people who are carriers of the sexually
transmitted infection (STI). In comparison, only one county in both
Utah and Maine have more than 300
people per 100,000 people that are
carriers of chlamydia.
The CDC also ranked Mississippi as the nation’s leader in gonorrhea cases. Per 100,000 people
in Mississippi, about 209 people
carry the infection. Comparatively, less than 10 in 100,000 people in
Idaho carry gonorrhea.
According to the Mississippi
Department of Health, Mississippi
was ranked fifth in the nation in
syphilis cases in 2009, and the state
jumped to earn the second place

spot in 2010. Mississippi also holds
the sixth place spot for HIV cases
in the nation.
April is STI Awareness Month,
and many believe that students
should become more aware of the
implications and consequences of
the contraction of sexually transmitted infections. The CDC reported
that almost half of all new STI cases
occur in people ages 15-24.
The Mississippi Department of
Health also reported that 76 percent
of reported chlamydia cases were
found in people ages 15 to 24.
University of Southern Mississippi professor emeritus Karen Lundy
is the adviser for VOX, a student organization that represents Planned
Parenthood of America. Lundy said
STI screening is necessary among
college students.
“We advocate that anyone who is
sexually active get regular screenings
for all STIs at the least annually for
men and women,” Lundy said. “College students are the greatest risk for
any consequence of sexual activity.
Kristen O’Flarity, a community
health sciences and Spanish double

Justin Sellers/Printz

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently found that Mississippi ranks ﬁrst in the nation
in rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea. Approximately 726 per 100,000 Mississippians are infected with
chlamydia, while 209 per 100,000 Mississippians are infected with gonorrhea.

major, is the president of VOX.
“According to Student Health
Services, one in four students
on this campus have an STD,”
O’Flarity said. “Getting tested

would certainly change that.”
Sara Thigpen, a junior nursing
major, said students should be
tested regularly.
“College is the time for the young

generation to explore and experience new things,” Thigpen said.

See STI, 3

ON CAMPUS

ON CAMPUS

TEAAM to Rock for Autism
TEAAM USM is hosting their
second annual Rock for Autism
today in the Union lobby from
10 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Rock for Autism is an event
where student teams work together to keep their rocking
chairs rocking for 12 hours while
collecting pledges. Last year, the
event had 12 teams and raised
nearly $2,000, but this year, they
exceeded that amount by having
15 registered teams. The goal for
this year is $3,500.
TEAAM, or Together Enhancing Autism Awareness in Missis-

sippi, is a statewide non-profit
organization that is dedicated to
improving the lives of Mississippians with an Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASD) by cultivating
and enhancing family and community support, according to the
organization’s website.
A branch of the organization
was brought to Southern Miss
in 2009 in hopes of spreading autism awareness, and in
2011, TEAAM started Rock
for Autism. The proceeds will
go towards sending children
to Kamp Kaleidoscope, an adventure based summer camp
in Mississippi designed specifically for children with autism.
Kamp Kaleidoscope was creat-

2PAC

WEATHER

Tyler Hill
Printz Writer

Justin Sellers/Printz

The Hub Bones, a jazz trombone ensemble at the
University of Southern Mississippi in the School
of Music, perform in the Mannoni Performing Arts
Center Wednesday evening.

LGBT PANEL

GRAPES OF WRATH

Thursday

82/55
Friday

82/60
Saturday

Page 4

Page 5

Page

69/54

ed in 2001 by Mark Yeager, and it
allows ASD children to surround
themselves in a fun and educational environment with people
who have the same disorders.
The camp’s cost is $600.
President of TEAAM USM
Marie Ferderer said she is hoping for a large turnout.
“So many children with autism don’t get to have the regular life experiences like so many
kids get to have,” Ferderer said.
“We are simply trying to ease
the financial burden for these
families, and this is a great way
to help by just coming out and
rocking in a chair.”

Find us online at:
www.studentprintz.com
The Student Printz is published
every Tuesday and Thursday
during the fall and spring semesters.
Signature Offset of Hattiesburg
provides printing services.
Opinions expressed in The Student
Printz are those of the writer
and not necessarily those of The
Student Printz, its publications
manager, USM, the Board of
Trustees of State Institutions of
Higher Learning or the USM
Board of Student Publications.

*Tupac’s given name was Lesane Crooks.
*Tupac studied drama at Baltimore’s School for the Arts,
where he rapped under the name MC New York.
*Tupac said that because of his mom’s ties with the Black
Panthers, the FBI was always after him and his family.
*Tupac was ﬁrst inspired to rap when a friend of his was
killed while he was playing with a gun. His ﬁrst rap was
about gun control.
*The track “Something Wicked” from 2Pac’s debut 2Pacalypse
Now album was a direct quote from Shakespeare’s Macbeth
(i.e. “Something Wicked This Way Comes”).
* Tupac was named after Tupac Amaru II, who was an Emperor of the Inca Empire in Peru and led an uprising against
Spanish soldiers in his country in 1780.
* Tupac had to take an HIV test before kissing Janet Jackson
in “Poetic Justice,” where he played opposite of the singer in
the role of post ofﬁce worker Lucky.
* Tupac was engaged to Quincy Jones’s daughter Kidada at
the time of his passing.
* Tupac worked at Roundtable Pizza making and delivering
pizza.
* Tupac wrote his hit song “Dear Mama” while in prison.

News

Thursday, April 19, 2012

ON CAMPUS

Student Printz, Page 3

Panel speaks to LGBT community
Justin Mitchell
News Editor
“The LGBT community is just
like the heterosexual community,” Amber Hammons, a sociology major at the University
of Southern Mississippi, said.
“Some of us are Jewish, some of
us are Muslim, some of us are
atheists, some of us are Humanists, and the list goes on. I think
it is important that the student
body understand that we are just
like them.”

Hammons is a council leader
of USM’s Gay Straight Alliance
(GSA) and helped create a panel
discussion titled “Spiritual, Religious, and Secular Paths to Enlightenment within the LGBT
Community” that will be held
tonight at 7 p.m. in the Liberal
Arts Building Room 101.
GSA and the department of
political science at USM sponsored the panel discussion.
Hammons said that religion
is often a taboo thing to talk
about within the LGBT community because there is so much
emotion surrounding the issue.

Justin Mitchell/Printz

Amber Hammons, a sociology major, talks about the spiritual panel
she is moderating tomorrow evening in the LAB.

However, she and fellow GSA
members decided it was important for the issue to be discussed
on campus.
“We decided to have a panel
of speakers come to school who
represent various beliefs in the
hopes of providing a safe place
for productive discussion,”
Hammons said. “The topic is
pretty controversial and emotionally charged, so most people don’t get the opportunity to
openly discuss it in a safe and
productive way. Our vision was
to provide a space to sponsor
that discussion.”
Hammons is lesbian woman who identifies herself as a
Christian. However, she said
most discrimination she faces
regarding her sexuality comes
from other Christians.
“I used to attend a large Baptist church in Brandon,” Hammons said. “In fact, in 2010 I
was voted one of Jackson’s Top
20 Christian Leaders by Metro
Christian Living.”
However, when Hammons
revealed her sexual preference,
she said she had to increase her
privacy settings on Facebook because of the harassment she was
subjected to by church members.
Hammons also met her current
girlfriend while being a Christian
camp counselor.

ON CAMPUS

Greeks host annual events
Stormy Speaks
Copy Editor
Throughout this week, three fraternities – Sigma Nu, Sigma Chi,
and Alpha Tau Omega – at the University of Southern Mississippi have
been preparing for their upcoming
philanthropy events this weekend.
The Theta Gamma chapter of Sigma Nu, along with cosponsors Men
of Excellence, will be holding their
5th annual Catfish Fry on Friday
from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Alfa Insurance parking lot on Hardy Street.
One catfish plate will cost $7.00 and
include three catfish filets, French
fries, and coleslaw. Organizations
that order 20 or more plates can
have their plates delivered to the location of its choice. Last week, Sigma
Nu held a money drop contest in the
Thad Cochran Center that featured
t-shirt designs by Greek organizations for the catfish fry. This year, Alpha Delta Pi sorority won the contest. Sigma Nu will also have a table
set up through Friday to sell tickets
to the fry, take donations and sign
people up for t-shirts. The money
raised in the money drop and the
catfish fry will benefit St. Jude Chil-

dren’s Research Hospital.
“It is for a great cause, and the
food is going to be amazing,” sophomore marketing major and Sigma
Nu philanthropy chair Zachary
Newsome said. “It is a good chance
for people on and off campus to
meet us and understand what we do
and why we do it.”
Also on Friday, the Theta Delta
chapter of Sigma Chi will be holding Derby Days, a philanthropic
tradition that has been at Southern
Miss for 30 years. On Monday, the
first clue about the Derby Hat will be
released. The hat will be hidden by a
Derby Daddy, who serves as the face
of Derby Days, on campus for one
of the sororities to find. The rest of
the clues will be posted throughout
the week in front of the Sigma Chi
house until the hat is found. There
will be various other competitions
the sororities will partake in, such
as a Band-Aid drive and a karaoke
competition, as well as a profit share
day at Caliente Grille on Wednesday.
The week’s events will culminate in a
dance competition tomorrow at 4
p.m. at Reed Green Coliseum with
a benefit concert at The Frat House
to follow. Last year’s Derby Days
winner was Delta Delta Delta sorority. The money raised from week’s

events will benefit Children’s Miracle Network. Last year, Sigma Chi
raised $8,000.
“Derby Days is important because
of the true meaning behind why we
do it,” said senior health care marketing major and Derby Days chairman Michael Cobb. “People should
come out to Derby Days because of
not only the great cause we are raising the money for but to also have a
great time.”
Finally, on Saturday the Epsilon
Upsilon chapter of Alpha Tau Omega will hold its 27th annual Crawfish Boil from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The
event will feature 10,000 pounds of
all-you-can-eat crawfish, potatoes
and corn. Hotdogs and hamburgers will also be served. A volleyball
tournament and dance competition
will be held among the sororities in
the second annual Queen of Crawfish contest on that day as well. Tickets will be $12 prior to Saturday and
will be $15 at the door. The money
raised will benefit Adalius Thomas
Children’s Fund of Mississippi Gulf
Coast Foundation, which raises
awareness about childhood obesity.
Crawfish Boil Chair Davey Yennie
can be contacted at (228) 697-1889
for more information.

Participants in Panel Discussion:
Dr. Kate Greene, associate professor of political science
Carey Varnado, local attorney, member of Hattiesburg
Unitarian Universalist Church
Reverand Van Bankston, Trinity Episcopal Church
CeCe Garrett, Walk Fellowship (Gulf Coast)
Rabbi Uri, from local temple is unable to attend due to a
prior engagement.
“I think it is really important
for students to know there are
many paths of enlightenment
available to us, not just religious
ones,” Hammons said. “To me, it
is important, especially in terms
of religion, because in conversation it is always the LGBT community against the religious
community. It’s a mistake to
generalize all religions and gays
as being against each other.”
There will be religious leaders
and prominent figures on USM’s
campus that will participate in the
panel discussion. Among these is
political science associate professor
Kate Greene. Greene is the leader
of the Buddhist meditation group
on campus, although she does not
identify as a full-fledged Buddhist.
“I decided to participate because I am a lesbian and I am willing to share with the audience my
spiritual journey from Episcopalian to atheist to a kind of secular

Buddhist,” Greene said.
Green said it’s imperative that
the LGBT community know that
there are places to practice their
spiritual beliefs in the local area.
“Of course it’s important for
the LGBT community to be
aware that there are religious
groups that welcome them,”
Greene said. “Most Southerners
are raised with strong religious
beliefs that just because they are
lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered does not mean they
have to give up those beliefs.
Their home church may reject
them because of their sexuality,
but there are other communities
where they can continue their
spiritual journey.”
Hammons hopes the panel
will open the eyes of many
close-minded people.
“I don’t understand churches
like my old one who teach being
gay is a sin,” Hammons said.

sti, from 1
“People are going to have sex.
It’s just important to be safe.
Using protection and getting
tested regularly is key to having
a healthy sex life.”
Lundy agreed.
“The most effective way to protect our sexual health is prevention
and to be as responsible for our reproductive system as for any other
system in our body,” she said. “The
key is breaking the chain of contagion and continuing to pass along
these diseases sexually. The way
we can do this is educating people
about condoms.”
Many events are being held on
campus during STI Awareness
Month to implement sexual health
education to students. Student
Health Services will be hosting
HIV Rapid Testing in which participants will find out if they are
HIV positive in fifteen minutes.

“HIV Testing is as easy as a finger prick,” Lundy said.
VOX will be hosting a sex forum, and the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA) is
will be hosting four nights of panel
discussion regarding sexual education next week in Joseph Green
Hall 115. Monday through Thursday, various guest speakers will address different sexual health topics,
such as orgasms and the basics of
sex, pregnancy and abortion, birth
control and STI awareness. The
panel discussions will begin each
night at 6:30 p.m.
Lundy said that most STIs carry
no symptoms, and that holds true
especially for women.
“Dentists won’t even screen
someone without using gloves and
masks,” she said. “Protecting yourself is the moral thing to do.”

teaam, from 1
If TEAAM USM reaches
their goal of $3,500, five children will be sent to the weeklong summer camp.
TEAAM USM’s vice president Jessica Jelinkski said she
joined the organization because it hits close to home.
“I know several people with
autism,” Jelinkski said. “I want

to help provide opportunities for children with autism
so that they can participate
in summer camps and normal activities. This is something they usually don’t have
a chance to do.”
For more information about
TEAAM, visit www.TEAAM.org
or call toll-free at 1-866-993-2437.

Opinion

Page 4, Student Printz

Thursday, April 19, 2012

LIFE

Student
Shout-outs

“

SMAC attack is back
and ready to #ATTACK! apply
for SMAC at usm.edu/studentactivites/smac #SMAC #TOTHETOP yeah buddy!
Agora? translated from
English to Greek: the central
marketplace in most Greek
cities... Since they no longer
sell Greek food shouldn’t
The Agora become the la
plaza del mercado??
Come be a part of a new vision with fresh goals and
ideas! The SMAC Executive
team for 2012-2013 is excited
and eager to get new members for the new year. We are
committed to bringing nothing
less than excellence in everything we do, and we want our
members to gain that experience. Apply for SMAC! Applications due April 20. usm.
edu/student-activities/smac
mississippi is number 3
in the nation. don’t be
ashamed to wrap it up.
Sigma Epsilon Chi Iota To
The Top!
I wish some smokers
would stop complaining that they have zones
located all over campus
to smoke in - even some
covered ones with seating. Have you not seen
all the FGH employees
and patients that have
to go smoke on the service road off hospital
grounds?
When the schedule at the
Payne Center says “Lap
Swim,” that means lap swim,
not rec swim/stand in the water with lane ropes in. Some of
us are trying to get a workout
in and can’t because some
people are just chillin. There’s
a time for that. It’s called “Rec/
lap swim.”
Think your tough? But
are you BENCH PRESS
TOUGH!?!? Sign up at
the Payne Center if you
think you have what it
takes.
Saturday 28th,
@ 9 A.M. Both Men and
Womens division. FREE
for students!!!!

”

To see your anonymous comment in
The Student Printz, submit it under
the ‘Contact’ tab on studentprintz.
com.

2Soon: The implications
of the 2Pac hologram
Corbin McDavitt
Printz Writer
Sunday night I could not sleep
at all. In a half awake/half asleep
state, I did the usual and checked
my Twitter timeline to see what
the world was up to. All over my
feed were tweets reading, “Tupac
Hologram Video.” I thought the
world had gone crazy. Hours later,
I found out what all the fuss was
about. On Sunday at California’s
Coachella Music Festival, a hologram of rapper 2Pac took the
stage with rappers Dr. Dre and
Snoop Dogg for what I consider
a performance that will go down
in history as one of the greatest
in live music. The spectacle of
the show itself was incredible. My
reaction when first watching the
footage of 2Pac’s hologram was
my jaw dropping at the incredible
spectacle and realism of 2Pac’s
physical characteristics. But with
some days to ponder, the impact
of the performance has left me
with some negative feelings.
If you know me, and you
should, you know that I am a
huge hip-hop fan. Particularly,
I would say I’m a West Coast
rap fan, but having this opportunity to write an article on the
greatest rapper of all time has
totally refueled my “Ambitionz
Az A Writa.” However, it’s a
shame that I’m going to have to

argue that the implications of
the performance lead to a slippery slope for how we as culture view and treat death.
Let’s look at the obvious
here: If we can hologram 2Pac,
who can’t we hologram? Why
stop at 2Pac? We can’t have a
Biggie Smalls hologram join
the stage with Puff Daddy, P.
Diddy, or Diddy? Or maybe
even bring back John Lennon
to perform “Imagine?” Where
do we draw the line in paying
homage to the dead? I have to
wonder how the Shakur family
felt seeing a hologram of their
slain son on stage. Not only was
2Pac murdered, but it was an
unsolved murder. With all of
the unanswered questions and
the mysteries surrounding his
case, I don’t feel it would bring
me any more peace in dealing
with the case itself. During one
part of the performance, 2Pac’s
voice was manipulated to ask
the crowd, “What is up, Coachella?” When did it become
okay to think that we could put
words in a dead man’s mouth?
It’s not enough that 2Pac
came back from the dead for
one show. Now, rumor has it
that the hip-hop icon may even
tour the United States as a hologram. We can pay homage to
the dead by listening and sharing the message of 2Pac’s music, but we can’t believe that the
dead are to be manipulated for
our own consumption. Currently in the hip hop scene, rapper Drake has swept the scene
with his song “The Motto,”
which stresses the importance

Courtesy Photo

of the word “YOLO,” which
means, “You only live once.”
Now, as usual, the Internet has
run crazy with it and maybe
inflated the message behind it.
However, it does point out the
inevitable that death is our final
stop. Eerily enough, 2Pac once
said, “My only fear of death is
coming back reincarnated.” We

should continue to pay homage to slain artists with what we
feel in our hearts and not what
we wish we could see and bring
back in front of our eyes.
This was an article of opinion by
Corbin McDavitt, a writer for The
Student Printz. Email questions
or comments to corbin.mcdavitt@
eagles.usm.edu.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Arts & Entertainment

Student Printz, Page 5

ON CAMPUS

‘Grapes of Wrath’ sets stage tonight
Megan Fink
Printz Writer
“The Grapes of Wrath” is coming soon to the theatre and dance
department at the University of
Southern Mississippi. The play is
based on a 1939 Pulitzer-winning
novel by John Steinbeck. It was
adapted to the stage by Frank
Galati in 1988 and won a Tony
Award for Best Play in 1990. “The
Grapes of Wrath” will be the final
play of the spring semester and
will no doubt make a lasting impression on its audience.
The narrative follows the story
of a family of “Okies,” migrant
Oklahoma farmers during the
Dust Bowl of the 1930s. When
Tom Joad is paroled from prison
four years after being convicted of
murder, he finds his family abandoning their infertile Oklahoma
land in an attempt to find a new
life in California. He and his loyal
friend Jim Casy join the migrant
group, breaking his parole. After
a long trip, two family deaths and
the dissolution of some family
bonds, the family reaches California, but the land of milk and honey they had hoped for is nowhere
to be seen. Through the strength
of their family ties and the depths
of human endurance, the characters discover the true meaning
of sacrifice and leadership in the
midst of labor unions, robber barons and economic turmoil.
USM’s production of this classic play will star Matthew Judd,
a second-year graduate student
from Atlanta, Ga. as Tom Joad.
Jim Casy will be played by Josh
Thomas, an undergraduate senior. Ma Joad will be portrayed by
Robin Carr, an associate professor
and member of the Actors Equity
Association. Derrick Phillips, a

Thomas Pearson/Printz

Senior Theater student Josh Thomas, poses with associate professor of
voice and acting Robin Carr and graduate students Derrick Phillips and
Matthew Judd at the Grapes of Wrath media call on Wednesday morning.

first-year graduate student, will
perform as Pa Joad.
“I have done my damndest to
rip a reader’s nerves to rags,” said
John Steinbeck after the novel’s
publication. The play may in fact
do the same to its audience. The
production includes some strong
language and violent elements
that may not suit a younger audience, so parents should be cautious. Though “The Grapes of
Wrath” is a classic play, its message holds great political relevance to our time.
The play opens tonight at 7:30

p.m. in the Martha R. Tatum
Theatre. Other show-times are
April 20, 21, 26, 27 and 28 at
7:30 p.m. and April 22 and 29 at
2 p.m. The show on April 22 will
feature a pre-show talk at 1 p.m.
by assistant English professor
Charles Sumner.

General admission is
$12 for the public, $10
for faculty, staff, seniors
and military and $6 for
students.

Basketball coaching search begins
Kyle Smith
Printz Writer
Not long after Larry Eustachy
took the men’s basketball head
coaching job at Colorado State, the
Southern Miss men’s basketball
program began looking for a coach.
No one can be expected yet, but it is
more likely that a new athletic director will be hired first. However, that
does not mean that the search has
not already begun.
Here is a list of six possible candidates, in no particular order, who

could end up (or end up staying) in
Hattiesburg with the position.
Steve Barnes - Barnes has been at
Southern Miss for eight years as Eustachy’s associate head coach. He has
been an assistant under Eustachy at
four different Division I institutions,
and he also took one head coaching
job at San Jose State for three years in
the late ‘90s and early 2000s. His career as a head coach is 39-51. Known
as a standout recruiter, Barnes thinks
he can keep the program going in
the right direction.
Tim Floyd - Born in Hattiesburg
and a former walk-on to the Southern Miss basketball team, Floyd is
no stranger to the area. In fact, his
father coached here two different
times - from 1949-1954 and 19621971. What makes Floyd such an
attractive coach is his resume. He

has been the head coach in five
Division I programs, going 367208 in his time at these schools.
The 367 wins do not include the 21
wins vacated from USC because of
NCAA sanctions. He also coached
in the NBA for four seasons with a
record of 90-231.
Kenny Payne - A current assistant at Kentucky, Payne is a
native of Laurel. Payne played
on the 1986 national championship team at Louisville for coach
Denny Crum. Although he has
never had a head coaching job,
the young coach was an assistant
at Oregon for five seasons before
heading to Kentucky for the last
two. Payne also interviewed for
the Mississippi State position
earlier this year but ultimately
did not get the hire.

Kermit Davis - The current head
coach at Middle Tennessee, Davis is
also a Mississippi native. Davis has
turned the MTSU program around
in recent years, going 100-82 in his
tenure at the school. Davis has had
three additional head coaching jobs
in the past, and he has been in collegiate coaching for over 28 years.
Sean Woods - Another young
coach, Woods has done impressive
things at Mississippi Valley State over
the past few years. Although he went
a combined 29-67 in his first three
seasons at the school, Woods led his
team to a 21-12 season and won the
SWAC conference championship.
The championship earned MVSU
a trip to the Big Dance, where they
were beat in their first game. He has
held assistant positions at three other
schools before coming on at MVSU.

John Pelphrey - The unlikely
one of the group, it would still be
wrong to not mention his name in
the conversation. The former South
Alabama and Arkansas head coach,
he is now an assistant coach at the
University of Florida. For the five
seasons he was at South Alabama,
he went 80-67. He then went to
Arkansas, where he was 69-59 over
four seasons. He was outspoken after his firing at Arkansas, saying he
did not receive enough time to turn
the program around. It is a matter of
time until he receives another head
coaching opportunity.
This was an article of opinion by
Kyle Smith, a writer for The Student
Printz. Email questions or comments
to kyle.smith@eagles.usm.edu.

BASEBALL

Blake Brown: Man on a mission
Barrett Negus
Printz Writer

Junior star first baseman Blake
Brown hits the home runs and
drives in runs for the Golden Eagle
baseball team.
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Brown
has come a long way since his junior
year in high school in small town
Semmes, Ala. Brown, a tall, lanky
high school senior was told by college coaches that he would never be
able to play college baseball because
he wasn’t good enough. After hearing this, Brown considered giving up
baseball and not even playing his senior year in high school, but instead
of quitting, Brown set out to prove
his critics wrong. He did just that his
senior year in high school, hitting
over .400 with 10 home runs.
Brown accepted a scholarship to
Pensacola State Junior College in
Florida. There he was chosen as an
all conference performer, hitting 24
home runs in two years.
Even after his junior college success, Brown was still shunned by
colleges in his home state. Southern
Miss coaches took a look at Brown
and liked what they saw.
In his first season at Southern

Miss, Brown is leading the team
in home runs (six), and runs
batted in (32). Brown credits his
success to coming out to practice
every day and working hard to
improve his game.
“I just wanted to prove to myself
that I could play at the Division I level, but I play for the love of the game,”
Brown said. “I came here with a goal
to start and play every day and do
whatever I could to help continue
the winning tradition at USM.”
His hard work is paying off, as
Brown has already been named
the C-USA hitter of the week
twice thus far this season. These
weeks included a three home run
and nine RBI week, and another
two home run and 11 RBI week
in which he hit .438.
“Brown came out and had a great
fall, filling the void left in the middle
of our line-up from last year’s team
and has continued doing a great
job for us this spring,” head baseball
coach Scott Berry said. “He is a great
team player with a top notch work
ethic and everything a coach could
ask for in a player.”
Brown is well-liked off the
field as well.
“Blake is the guy that you love
playing with and hate playing

Baseball at South Alabama

against,” left fielder Joe Martin said.”
The standout Golden Eagle first
baseman went from not knowing
if he would ever play another base-

Southern Miss Box Score
Baseball:

4/13 vs. UCF W, 1-0
4/14 vs. UCF L, 11-6
4/15 vs. UCF L, 12-3

Softball:

4/14 vs. South Alabama L, 8-0
4/15 at South Alabama L, 6-0

Women’s Tennis:
4/14 vs. UTEP W, 4-2
4/15 at Arkansas State L, 4-2

Men’s Tennis:

4/15 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette L, 4-3

ball game in his life to being told
that he will have a chance to play
the game the rest of his life.
Brown is expected to be drafted in

the top 20 rounds of the upcoming
Major League Baseball draft in June,
according to coaches on the Southern Miss staff.

Southern Miss Sports: Upcoming Games
4/20/12

4/21/12

6 p.m. Baseball vs. Memphis

12 p.m. Baseball vs. Memphis

Pete Taylor Park

Pete Taylor Park

4/20/12

4/21/12

ALL DAY Men’s Tennis C-USA Championship

12 p.m. Softball at East Carolina

Orlando, Fla.

Greenville, N.C.

The Student Printz

Page 8, Student Printz

Thursday, April 19, 2012

now here’s an

early graduation gift
you Can aCtually use.

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2012 Patriot

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